Abstract:

 Objective  To investigate the effect of academic stress on oral mucosal immune function by semi-quantitatively detecting and comparing the levels of mucosa-associated epithelia chemokine (CCL28/MEC) and secretory immunoglobin A (sIgA) in saliva before and after certain exams. Methods  A total of 37 undergraduates (17 sophomore girls, 10 junior boys and 10 junior girls, the latter two were defined as the male group and the female group ) were enrolled to collect non-stimulated completed saliva before and after certain exams. The changes of CCL28 and sIgA in the samples were detected with ELISA. Results  The OD values of sIgA and CCL28 after exams significantly decreased (P<0.05) in all 37 students. The change of CCL28 (P<0.05) in the saliva spanning the exams was more significant in the female group than in the male group, whereas the change of sIgA level (P<0.05) showed no obvious difference. After the same exam, the change of CCL28 in saliva was more obvious than the change of sIgA in the female group (P<0.05), without significant difference in the male group (P>0.05). Conclusion  Academic stress plays an important role in the secretion of CCL28 and sIgA in saliva, and females are more susceptible to such stress.

Key words: Secretory immunoglobin A, Mucosa-associated epithelia chemokine, Saliva, Academic stress